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The Ethiopian bookbinder connecting a city's people with its forgotten past

Ashly, Jaclynn
http://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/5/3/the-ethiopian-bookbinder-connecting-a-citys-people-with-its-forgotten-past

Publisher:  Al Jazeera
Date Written:  03/05/2025
Year Published:  2025  
Resource Type:  Article

Ethiopian bookbinder, Abdallah Ali Sherif, grew up in eastern Ethiopia in the city of Harar. The city, a rich centre for Islamic scholarship, was absorbed into a Christian empire in 1887. Islamic culture and institutions became repressed by the state and some demolished entirely. Sherif is determined to uncover the once central parts of Harar's identity.

Abstract: 

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Excerpt:

In 1887, Harar’s military was defeated by the forces of Menelik II, and the city was forcefully absorbed into a Christian empire.

The following decades were shaped by state repression, social discrimination and the erosion of the city’s Islamic culture and institutions.

Arabic street signs were replaced with Amharic ones, Harar’s largest mosque was turned into an Ethiopian Orthodox Church and numerous Islamic educational centres were demolished. Severe restrictions were placed on religious practices and education – once a central part of Harar’s identity.

It was against this backdrop that Sherif grew up.

Ever since, Sherif has been on a mission: To explore his city’s cultural identity by collecting artefacts, from old music cassettes to minted coins and, most importantly, manuscripts.

After years of painstaking searches going from household to household, he collected enough items to open Ethiopia’s first private museum, Abdallah Sherif Museum, 14 years ago in the hope of reconnecting Harar’s people with their history. The collection of hundreds of old manuscripts has become a particular passion.

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